Tower Warned Crew Of Engine Fire...

A
day after the first fatal accident involving a Concorde supersonic
airliner, French authorities were well into their grim task of
recovering wreckage and beginning their investigation. The delta-wing
jet fell into a small hotel near Paris' Le Bourget Airport shortly after
a fiery takeoff from the Charles de Gaulle Airport. All 100 passengers
aboard  mostly German tourists  nine crewmembers and four on the
ground died shortly after takeoff for the planned flight to New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport. Even at this early date, however,
it is abundantly clear that some sort of catastrophic engine failure
during its takeoff roll was a major factor in the tragedy. The two left
Rolls-Royce Olympus engines  and a repair to one of their thrust
reversers accomplished by cannibalizing one from a nearby plane that
helped delay the flight's departure for more than an hour  will
receive close scrutiny in the coming weeks and months as the
investigation continues.

...And Other Details Of Accident Sequence
Emerge...

That
investigation will be aided by numerous credible eyewitness accounts
from pilots who saw flames trailing from the jet's left engines during
the latter stages of its takeoff roll and by the reports from air
traffic controllers at de Gaulle who reportedly warned the crew of
Flight 4590 twice that it was on fire even before it left the runway.
Those reports state that the controllers warned the crew that their
Concorde was on fire and that the crew responded to the effect that they
were aware of the fire, but were unable to abort the takeoff, probably
because the jet had already accelerated beyond V1, its rejected-takeoff
speed. Among the questions to which investigators will be seeking
answers are the exact nature of the thrust-reverser repair technicians
made before takeoff, what impact  if any  it could have had on the
accident sequence and why the crew chose to continue the takeoff rather
than abort and roll off the end of the departure runway.

...As British Airways Resumes Flights 
And Oshkosh Arrival Expected

In
the aftermath, citizens from around the crash site at Gonesse, France,
praised the 54-year-old pilot, Christian Marty, believing that he flew
the stricken jet away from populated areas, perhaps as he tried to land
at nearby Le Bourget, before the crash. Also, British Airways Wednesday
resumed scheduled flights of its fleet of seven Concordes, although Air
France said that its fleet of five remaining examples of the supersonic
jet will remain grounded at least until the accident aircraft's flight
data and cockpit voice recorders can be analyzed. Both were recovered
form the wreckage Tuesday. As for the Concorde's widely anticipated
return to EAA AirVenture, it is still expected Friday.

Weather Is Fine, Wish You Were Here...

If
the rest of the weather during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2000 even remotely
resembles opening day, then the attendees, exhibitors and volunteers
will go away from this largest civil aviation event with fond memories.
Fair skies, moderate temperatures and low humidity have been the rule so
far, unlike recent years and in especially stark contrast to last year.
A mostly gentle  but sometimes stiff  breeze through the large
hangars allowed exhibitors and shoppers alike to keep their cool while
shopping for the latest, greatest and cheapest widgets available.
Outside, gawkers and tire-kickers wandered among the tents and pavilions
to fawn over the latest wares and the heavy iron arrayed on the main
ramp, while others sought out knowledge and experience from the numerous
forums and technical sessions available.

In
the afternoon, the steady flow of arrivals temporarily eased, the
constant roar of radial engines turning large propellers filled the air
as warbirds paraded, pirouetted and pounced on one another in mock
combat. Later, the finest aerobatic pilots in the world mounted their
steeds to show off before a crowd of thousands for the day's airshow.
Finally, the field quieted down again and dusk fell on the massed
airplanes as contented campers settled in for a dry, cool evening before
rising again the next day to do it all over again. Still, with all the
airplanes, the people, the exhibits and the action, there's plenty to go
around. Neither parking nor camping areas are filled and getting around
the event areas seemed easier on this opening day than in recent years
 at least when compared to some of the weekend attendance levels in
recent memory.

AirVenture 2000 is underway. Where are you?

...Under A Bright Sky Full Of Wings...

"Speed"
is the theme for this year's AirVenture, but visitors could get their
fill of fast and slow at yesterday's show. During a fly-by of
production-model planes, a Helio-Courier showed just how breathtakingly slow
it could go. The plane crawled down the flight line, completing tight
turns and demonstrating just how versatile an aircraft it is. A nearly
vertical three-point landing with a 10-foot landing roll completed the
show. However, faster was the goal of the day, and when the warbirds
took to the air, a Sea Fury, P-51, and Corsair  former Reno racers all
 showed how to convert fuel into noise. During the afternoon airshow,
Bobby Younkin snap-rolled his newly painted Samson on takeoff and
challenged others to follow. Tomorrow, they definitely will. The CASPA
Challenge pits the best airshow pilots in the country in a test of skill
and nerves. We'll be there and bring the flying fun home to you.

...But Not The Vickers Vimy Or Harrier

One of the
great things about every AirVenture is that you get to see one-of-a-kind
aircraft and spectacular machines that expand the envelope of the
possible. Unfortunately, two such aircraft whose presence was eagerly
anticipated this year were not able to make it to Oshkosh because of
mechanical problems. A Vickers Vimy, a replica of a World War I-era
bomber, has gearbox problems that couldn't be repaired in time to fly to
the airshow. And the Marine Corps has suspended operations for some
Harriers, including the one scheduled to appear at AirVenture, due to
engine-bearing problems. With so many airplanes gathered in one place,
you wouldn't think anyone would miss these two, but they can't be
replaced. Here's hoping they make it for 2001 instead.

Planned Turbine Jet Flies Far And Fast
For Few Francs...

For
the first time ever, crowds  throngs of them, in fact  are getting
to see and sit in a physical mockup of the soon-to-be Eclipse 500. The
Eclipse is a sweet bird, there is no doubt. She is swoopy, reminiscent
of the V-Jet; and she is fast, boasting a max cruise of 355 knots,
+/-2.5 percent. Wednesday at AirVenture, Eclipse CEO/President Vern
Raburn talked about the near future for his state-of-the-art aluminum
aircraft. That immediate future includes cutting aluminum in the third
quarter of 2001, a first flight in mid-June 2002, and certification in
2003, with customer deliveries beginning soon after. The plane will
retail at $837,500... an unheard-of price for a twin-engine turbine. Not
only is the price amazingly low in comparison to other corporate
turbines on the market, it is also guaranteed. The $837,500 is in
June 2000 dollars, mind you, so it will edge up to match inflation.

CEO Raburn says each deposit for the Eclipse is nonrefundable, with
one very large exception: if the jet doesn't meet the company's
performance guarantees, customers who ask will be given their money
back. Deposits of $37,500 are being accepted now, says Chris Finnoff,
former president of Pilatus Business Aircraft and now vice-president of
sales and product support for Eclipse. That $37,000 will hold a spot
until the Eclipse 500 makes its first flight, at which time the company
will ask for $37,500 more. At certification, customers will owe an
additional $150,000. At 180 days before delivery, Eclipse will ask for a
percentage, and the remainder will be paid on delivery.

...We Couldn't, So You Can't...

In
a world of multimillion-dollar corporate jets, $837,500 sounds good for
a twin turbine... too good, in fact. "It doesn't leave us much
wiggle room," Finnoff admitted to AVweb, "not much at
all." CEO Raburn said, "There are skeptics who say it can't be
done. That's why we're all wearing these stickers with 'WCSYC' on them.
It stands for 'We couldn't, so you can't.' That's what we're running
into...'you can't build an airplane for that money.' That's the kind of
attitude we're talking about, so we decided to stick it back in their
faces a little (with the stickers)."

Eclipse seems to have what it takes to make the project fly. A fair
number of the company's top echelon was "borrowed" from
successful Pilatus. Raburn, though an aviation-manufacturer neophyte,
was one of the first employees of a little company called Microsoft, and
by the looks of things, did quite well there. Though delays cost money
and Eclipse officials would prefer to have none, they say they have the
financial backing to weather any storms. Raburn thinks the sky is very
nearly the limit for his sleek aircraft. He plans to target small
companies without the financial wherewithal to afford a $2-million-plus
jet, large companies that don't haul many people, and those who just
want to go fast. One of the things that Eclipse will be doing during the
next two to three years is creating the jet's market. "I think we
will be doing a very large volume. I see a very large business for this
aircraft," predicts Raburn. One prediction he declined to make,
though, is the number of Eclipse 500s that would sell. "It's our
policy not to predict order numbers," he told members of the media.
However, another member of Eclipse management told AVweb deposits
have hit 130-plus, just since May.

...Now, For The Nuts And Bolts...

Remember
that deposit refund exception? These are the performance numbers that
must hold up or customers will be given the option of getting their
money back. The stall speed is guaranteed at 62 knots, +/-4 percent. The
max cruise speed will be 355 knots, +/-2.5 percent. The max cruise speed
was revised downward 13 knots from the original objective. "We
wanted to make it an objective we could achieve," said Raburn. The
range with four occupants (a 200-pound pilot and three 170-pound
passengers) at high-speed cruise  building in a 100-mile alternate 
will be 1,300 nautical miles. The useful load will be 2,000 pounds,
+/-2.5 percent. The Eclipse 500 will come with a long list of standard
equipment, will be IFR-certified and certified for flight into known
icing. Additional options are being hashed out, but the first to be
offered is an extended-range version that will take you 1,825 nautical
miles.

...And Additional Odds And Ends

The Eclipse will be certified under FAR Part 23 for single-pilot
operation. The engines are Williams International EJ22s, which,
according to Engineering VP Oliver Masefield, have a higher
thrust-to-weight ratio than any other nonmilitary engine. "We are
truly doing some revolutionary things," said Masefield, also a
Pilatus alumni. "We are on an aggressive four-year development
cycle, basically starting from a clean sheet of paper. We're doing
everything differently. We're able to do this now because technologies
are coming together just at the right time. This plane would not have
been possible just five years ago."

Training And Insurance Will Be Critical
For Prospective Buyers...

Your Internet dot-com company has just struck it rich, and you're
ready to sell your Skyhawk and buy a new Eclipse 500 jet. You plunk down
your deposit money and get a delivery slot, but your favorite CFI shrugs
his shoulders when asked about training, and your insurance broker
breaks into fits of laughter when you inquire about hull coverage.
What's a new Eclipse pilot to do? To stretch this scenario further,
company CEO Vern Raburn announced today that several of the deposits for
the Eclipse jet have come from people who do not even have a pilot's
license yet. Since the announced goal of Eclipse Aviation is to make
aviation "personal," the company is already hard at work
setting up the training and insurance infrastructure needed by pilots
entering the world of turbojet aviation.

CEO
Raburn said today that the company envisions an in-house "aviation
academy," with much tighter control over training than the usual
arms-length approach to factory training taken by manufacturers.
"We don't have anything against FlightSafety or Simcom,"
Raburn said. "In fact, we have three years to look at them and
others as partners to make this happen." Don Taylor is Eclipse's
recently hired VP for safety, training and flight operations, and one of
his tasks will be to set up the company's ground school, simulator, and
flight training. Taylor said that even though many new owners will be
transitioning from singles or be without turbine experience, the
integrated design and simplicity of the Eclipse will be a great
advantage. "The design of this plane makes it very easy to fly. An
engine loss on takeoff will be a non-event in this aircraft,"
Taylor said. "You'll just climb out at 850 feet per minute instead
of the usual 1,800."

Taylor said the aircraft purchase price will include training for one
pilot, and will be a one-week type-rating course for those with turbine
experience, including ground school, Level D simulator time and flight
training. To support pilots with less experience, the factory may
develop a home-study course to be completed before coming to school.
There will probably also be a program for new pilots to fly with more
experienced pilots before they get "signed off" by the
factory. Taylor said the company has an engineering simulator up and
running, but the selection of a builder of the Level D hi-fidelity
simulator has not been made.

...But Will The Insurance Industry
Cooperate?

Owner-operators
of turbine aircraft have been particularly hard hit in the recent
tightening of the cyclical aviation insurance industry, and Eclipse has
recognized this as a roadblock for potential buyers. Jack Harrington, an
aviation insurance attorney, has joined the company to help develop an
insurance program that will be affordable and accessible for owners. In
the relatively small aviation insurance market, where rates often to
seem to be arrived at by mysterious methods, his task is to educate
brokers about the "easy flying" of the Eclipse 500 jet. He
wants to lay the groundwork for having the industry recognize the
company's training program.

Even at a 1.5 to 2 percent hull rate per year, the price of the
Eclipse will be some help in holding down insurance costs. But as CEO
Raburn said, "You can't teach good judgment." It can't be
taught quickly, in any event. Harrington would also like to develop a
panel of pilots to help transitioning owners meet insurance requirements
and avoid what Raburn called the "Thurman Munson syndrome."
Munson was an all-star catcher for the New York Yankees who died in 1979
while transitioning from a piston aircraft to a Cessna Citation.

Directing An Aerial Ballet From A
Wisconsin Soybean Field...

Many
people at AirVenture 2000 get to witness the amazing sight of hundreds
of arriving planes landing at Wittman Field in a relatively orderly
manner, often two or even three at a time on one runway. What very few
of those folks get to see is the effort of four FAA controllers working
at a temporary "tower" four miles west of Wittman Field to
ensure all those planes get to the airport in an orderly and safe
fashion. Located on a small knoll planted with soybeans just outside the
tiny hamlet of Fisk, a small trailer and a line of blinking strobe
lights aimed to the southwest is the final rendezvous point before
pilots are given permission to enter the pattern at Wittman Field. AVweb
visited Fisk on what is typically one of the busiest days for arriving
planes, the Tuesday before AirVenture opens. Working the Fisk shift this
day were FAA controllers John Moore, from the Minneapolis, Minn., tower;
Kristen O'Conner, Bismarck, N.D.; Tim Oberdoerster, Youngstown, Ohio;
and local controller Brian Vanlankvelt, from the Wittman Field tower.
This was just one of the 16 four-person teams of controllers working
AirVenture that rotate at Fisk throughout the show.

...Includes Juggling A Plateful Of
Planes...

When
AVweb arrived, this team had just placed about a dozen planes
into a oval-shaped holding pattern around nearby Rush Lake because
Wittman Field was temporary closed for a flight of arriving T-34s.
Oberdoerster kept in constant radio contact with the circling planes,
telling them what was happening, how long the hold would last, and
emphasizing that if anyone was low on fuel or had other problems to
radio him. Meanwhile, Moore kept in touch with the OSH tower via phone
line as Vanlankvelt and O'Conner identified each plane with high-power
binoculars. As it turned out, a twin reported he was low on fuel and a
Long EZ called to say he was getting smoke in his cockpit. Oberdoerster
immediately gave both planes permission to leave the holding pattern and
proceed directly to the pattern at Wittman, while Moore got on the phone
to let the OSH tower know they were coming. Ten minutes later the phone
rang letting the "Fisk Four" know that the field was again
open. Oberdoerster started letting every third plane out of the holding
pattern to land at Wittman, while reassuring the remaining planes that
the traffic jam would soon be over.

...And Getting A Little Help From Mother
Nature

Moore told AVweb that fortunately today the winds allowed them
to land aircraft on Runway 27 or Runway 18, which allowed for adequate
spacing of planes after they leave Fisk. The day before, when planes
were landing on Runway 09, AVweb noticed numerous planes bunching
up on final, forcing several to go-around as faster planes quickly
caught up to slower ones in the short distance between the Fisk hand-off
and the threshold. Moore said Runway 09 is the controllers
least-preferred runway to land planes at Wittman during AirVenture due
to the short distance between Fisk and the approach end. Moore added
that when planes are landing on Runway 27, they have more distance to
work with to space out planes with disparate performance as they fly a
long downwind. But there were no such spacing problems Tuesday. After
successfully clearing up the Rush Lake holding pattern and learning that
the Long EZ and twin had landed successfully, the team knew that once
again they had faced the challenge of helping control the busiest
airspace in the world and succeeded in getting all those planes to
AirVenture safely.

BFGoodrich Aerospace Wants To Build It
For You...

BFGoodrich
Aerospace announced yesterday at AirVenture 2000 plans for a new
self-contained primary instrument system that will present primary
flight information, engine-monitoring data, navigation, weather, traffic
and terrain avoidance all on several liquid-crystal multifunction
display screens. A working prototype of the system, called SmartDeck, is
being demonstrated at AirVenture.

Gary Watson, of BFGoodrich Aerospace, characterized the system as an
"electronic co-pilot." It will assimilate and present
information in a fashion intuitive to the pilot. Watson also said that
BFGoodrich has an agreement with Advanced Creations to assist BFG in
building the large flat-panel displays that are integral to the system.
SmartDeck uses an active-matrix liquid-crystal display,
micro-electro-mechanical systems and local-area-network technologies in
the system, which BFG claims will allow them to build a powerful system
at a low cost. Watson declined to quote an estimate on cost at this
stage in the development.

...But You'll Have To Be Patient

SmartDeck will have an integrated attitude and heading reference
system and an air data computer and will run on one to four
10-inch-diagonal display screens. Each display will be able to operate
standalone or as part of a complete system. The standalone system will
display primary flight information such as heading, altitude, attitude
and airspeed, while a second screen can show simultaneously a moving
map, engine information and aircraft status information or can act as a
co-pilot's primary flight display.

SmartDeck will be able to display primary flight data in conventional
form or in what it calls "synthetic vision" with
highway-in-the-sky overlay depiction. BFG says that SV/HITS provides a
3-D "out-the-window view," with indicators showing the
aircraft's predicted flight path. Watson said the system was being
geared toward the "lower tier of GA," the four-seat single
market. BFG hopes to have the system certified and for sale by 2002. In
the meantime, you'll have to be satisfied with practicing on your kids'
computer sims.

It's A Dolphin, It's A Spaceship  No,
It's A Kitplane

It
looks like a cross between a BD-5 and a spacecraft, with a Swiss accent.
It's the Aeris 200, a kitplane under development by Aceair of
Switzerland. The two-place tandem design features a pusher prop,
mid-engine placement with a carbon-fiber driveshaft, and triple lifting
surface design with a canard as well as a traditional T-tail. The
company claims that the all-composite design will comply with all JAR 23
certification standards, and will undergo a "serious test
program," including construction of two scale radio-controlled
models. A third model underwent wind tunnel testing in Zurich.

Design work began in 1998 with dynamic model testing and wind tunnel
testing last year. Prototype construction began in February and Aceair
plans the first flight for January 2001. The airplane will be powered by
a 105-hp Mid-West AE110 rotary engine driving a three-blade
constant-speed pusher prop. A Rotax 912 is optional. A single fuselage
tank will carry 29 gallons of fuel.

Company brochures say that the wings will be removable for towing
behind a car using a special trailer. Provision for a ballistic recovery
chute is also included in the design. The company's booth at AirVenture
2000 features a full-size mockup with interior, which allows visitors to
climb into the cockpit to imagine flying the futuristic bird. The Swiss
chocolates were also a popular draw.

Not Only Ford Has A Classic Tri-motor 
Stinson Built One, Too

At
first glance, it looks like a Ford tri-motor, but then you realize that
it is smooth  no sign of that distinctive corrugated metal skin. It's
a Stinson "T" tri-motor, and it is parked just south of Show
Center in the Antique/Classic area. The airplane is finished in
1932-vintage American Airlines livery, a rich dark blue with orange-red
accents and lettering. NC11153 was built in 1931 for Century Air Lines,
which operated it between Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Cleveland.
Century was bought by American Airlines in 1932, hence the AA markings.
The airplane was originally delivered with two anti-drag cowlings, three
electric starters, two landing lights, two three-minute flares, a
two-way radio, heater, toilet, extra fuel tanks and full instrumentation
for "standard and blind flying." There's no mention of a CD
player or leather interior.

The airplane stayed in airline service until after World War II. It
was used to haul horses in the 1940s for spraying in the 1960s. It got
more-powerful Lycoming R-680-13 engines in the 1950s, rated at 300 hp,
and the most radical change to the airframe  metal skin in place of
the fabric covering it had sported up to that time. In 1965, R.P. Rice
converted the airplane back to standard category and it was flown around
the country barnstorming rides. In 1981, American Airlines contracted
for it to tour the country. After that, though, it was tied down in
Tucson until 1996, when Greg Herrick found it and a complete restoration
was begun.

The 1,600 pounds of aluminum skin was removed and the tri-motor
reverted to fabric. The results of the restoration are spectacular, and
well worth seeing if you get the chance at AirVenture 2000. The Stinson
is a part of the Golden Wings Flying Museum.

Goodbye, Aeroshell Answer Man

Ben
Visser, the 33-year Shell employee who became known as the
"Aeroshell Answer Man," is saying so long to questions, and
hello to retirement. The tall, affable Visser will be leaving hot,
humid, Houston, Texas, for the more temperature summers (and actual
winters) of South Dakota, where he plans to build on a farm owned by his
father and his grandfather before him. Visser was honored at AirVenture
Oshkosh Wednesday morning by EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny, who thanked him
for his valuable Aeroshell sponsorship support over the years. When
Poberezny handed Visser a commemorative EAA clock Visser quipped,
"Once I'm retired, I won't need it." Though Visser will be
away from Aeroshell, he won't be leaving aviation. It's in his blood.
"One of the first things I'm going to do at the farm is put in a
landing strip so I can fly in and out," Visser told AVweb.
Happy retirement, Aeroshell Answer Man, and safe flying.

Socata Unveils Trinidad GT Paint Scheme
Winner

At
an airport full of planes with fancy paint schemes, French aircraft
manufacturer Socata unveiled one of the fanciest on their new Trinidad
GT. The scheme, titled "Night & Day," was the result of a
contest Socata held earlier this year. After reviewing over 2,000
submissions from around the world, Socata chose the unique design
submitted by Scott Dorsey, a professor at Mt. Union College, Alliance,
Ohio. Socata said Dorsey's design combined creativity with the ease of
industrial application that they were seeking. Dorsey's creative talents
earned him and his wife a free trip to France. The Socata model
displaying Dorsey's paint scheme is the TB 21 Trinidad GT Turbo, the
fastest of Socata's TB range of aircraft. The retractable TB 21 uses a
turbocharged Textron Lycoming TIO-540 engine developing 250 hp to reach
speeds of 190 knots at FL250. The speedy TB 21 can also carry up to five
persons, and has a maximum range of 1,035 miles.

AirVenture Cup Winners Announced

The
EAA yesterday released the official winners of its AirVenture Cup speed
race, which finished up at Wittman Field on Tuesday afternoon. The
pilots raced from Dayton to Oshkosh, after the first leg of the race
from Kitty Hawk, N.C., was canceled due to stubborn IFR conditions.
First-place winners in each of the five categories were: Unlimiteds,
Orion Riddell, flying a Lancair IV; Sport Class, Lee Behel, Questair
Venture; Formula RG, Richard Keyt, Polen Special II; Formula FX, Bruce
Hammar, Glasair I; and Sprint Class, Rob Martinson, in a Vari EZ.

Question of the Week

Picture of the Week

Ted Runciman of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire (England) enlists the Turkish Air Force in our latest "Picture of the Week." Click through to read more about the top photos and see other stunning shots from AVweb readers.